Gov’t earmarks P3B for remote public schools

The national government has allocated P3 billion to improve access to quality basic education for children in geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and conflict-affected areas (GIDCAs), a lawmaker said on Sunday.

House Assistant Minority Leader and Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales said on Sunday that the funding will strengthen the Last Mile Schools Program, which aims to ensure that learners in remote and marginalized communities are not left behind in accessing public kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education.

“The sum will support the Last Mile Schools Program, which seeks to ensure that learners in remote and marginalized communities are not left behind in accessing public education,” Gonzales said, noting that at least 41 barangays in Eastern Samar are classified as GIDCAs.

Under the 2026 National Expenditure Program, the P3 billion allocation will fund a comprehensive package of infrastructure, facilities, and teaching personnel for last-mile schools.

“The package includes not just structures but also internet connectivity, technical-vocational laboratories, water and sanitation facilities, and solar power systems for off-grid schools, among others,” Gonzales explained.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier ordered the decentralization of the school building program, transferring the management of construction funds to local government units.

“We support the President’s decision to transfer school building funds to local government units,” Gonzales said. “In hard-to-reach barangays, it is indeed more practical for municipal governments to take the lead in constructing school facilities, with support from the Philippine Army’s engineering brigades.”

Gonzales, a former mayor of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, said he is familiar with the challenges faced by isolated communities, citing Homonhon Island as an example — reachable only by a two-and-a-half-hour motorized boat ride from the mainland.